Jason's Top 30 M.A.S.K. Vehicle Sets: 21-30

I've already told you about the 9 vehicle and figure sets that missed the cut so now let the Top 30 countdown begin! Again just to be clear, this list is primarily based on my personal opinion as a collector and my experience with the toys growing up in the '80s.

It's time to reveal my choices for #21-30! In this post, I'll be using images from Matt-Trakker.com's toy section. On with the countdown!

#30 Vandal (Series 4)

Squeaking in at the bottom of the countdown is Vandal. I was always into construction vehicles as a kid (thanks to my dad's profession), so the bobcat style loader has always been appealing to me. The jet portion is pretty cool except for maybe the push bombs. The tractor portion was the 4-wheeler than Iguana wishes it could be with the massive engine and shooting missile.

#29 Detonator (Series 4)

Maybe it's my love for the '80s, but I've always liked Detonator's very bright color scheme. The 4-wheeled "attack bike" looked good even though it was basically just a bike. The hovercraft has the two missiles to fire, but it was very odd shaped, easily identified as a VW Beetle cut in half.

#28 Razorback (Series 3)

What kid doesn't love a racecar to play with?! But a "rescue tank" on stilts...ah, not so much. To call this transformed thing a tank is a bit of a stretch if you ask me. It did have the fun grill missile in the front and the sunroof, but was definitely a better racecar than M.A.S.K. vehicle.

#27 Bullet (Series 3)

The M.A.S.K. collection has some great motorcycles and I really like the design concept for Bullet. It never drove very well with those skinny tires smashed together, but the hovercraft was pretty fun. Any vehicle that had a winch or tow cable was always great for play as well. The drawback to the toy was that the windshield usually snapped off and it was sometimes difficult to get the wheels back together.

#26 Slingshot (Series 3)

Slingshot had a good concept, but poor execution. The hidden jet was the ultimate surprise...when the doors would stay shut! I never had Slingshot as a kid but I must have tried to fix the doors on the one in my collection about half a dozen times before I finally gave up. It had some nice action buttons for the doors and the raising of the platform built in, but I've never quite understood the spinning mechanism for the platform.

#25 Wildcat (Series 3)

I always loved a good tow truck as a kid. I never had Wildcat but it would have worked well with more than just M.A.S.K. vehicles, having a tow cable and opening doors. The "fighting machine" platform looked pretty cool, but the one area I have always had trouble with is shooting the orange discs. The fact that you had to push it forward to fire was not ideal in my mind for what I saw as more of a stationery platform. Still, it came with six discs to attempt to fire or just toss at your enemy.

#24 Afterburner (Series 4)

There weren't to many dragster toys that I remember so I've always thought Afterburner was pretty unique. Even though it was small, it still came with a jet to fly. Plus, the nose missile on the platform has a pretty long range so the projectile launching made the otherwise awkward looking base much more fun.

#23 Stinger (Series 2)

I've always liked Stinger, in fact I've mentioned before that I wish Kenner would have made an actual Scorpion shell for it. Nevertheless, this muscle car tank had some cool features like the grappling hook that hid in the trunk. The windshield guard made it look tough, even when the exhaust guns would fall off. The wheels with the raised hub cap guns actually worked well too.

#22 Skybolt (Series 4)

Skybolt is my least favorite vehicle featuring Matt Trakker, but the camouflage jet as a whole looks pretty awesome. What's not appealing to me are the two vehicles in its defense mode. The wings of the smaller jet (from the bigger jet, weird) seem to always look like a butterfly and the "thruster car" looks nothing like a car to me. The larger jet vehicle is definitely its best mode with the shooting nose missile.

#21 Firecracker (Series 1)

Just missing my top 20 and the first appearance of a series 1 vehicle set is Firecracker. I've always been more a fan of Hondo MacLean's other ride, but I still liked his first vehicle. Even though it didn't have the smoothest function, the spiked spare tire was a great feature. I never really understood why it needed to raise up, other than shooting the freeze cannons in the cartoon, because it was kind of awkward to push around the taller version. The roof lights and grill guard were usually lost, but the fact that it came with the motorcycle definitely made up for its other shortcomings!

Next up, I'll give you my #11-20 choices!

Did I list your favorite vehicle too low? Is one of my picks too high on the list? Maybe my picks line up with what you would have chosen. Either way, be sure to leave a comment about my Top 30 list!

About Jason GrossJason Gross is an '80s kid trapped in a 40-year old body and has loved M.A.S.K. from the very beginning. He also contributes his retro pop culture knowledge to the Rediscoverthe80s.com website.

Wyatt Bloom is a lifelong M.A.S.K. fan as well as several other '80s properties including Knight Rider, Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, and Voltron. He also enjoys creating sound systems and the occasional deejay gig.

Besides the AOM website, Jason and Wyatt are lifelong friends who have also collaborated on a M.A.S.K. screenplay and cohost the MASKast podcast. They were also privileged to particpate in a M.A.S.K. 30th Anniversary panel with voice actor Doug Stone at Retro Con in 2015.